Uncle Walt's Insider Marty, Author at Uncle Walt's Insider

Dumbo the Flying Elephant, visiting Shanghai. Photo by Jeremy Thompson [CC BY 2.0] via Flikr.

TSA updates ‘No-Fly List’ policy for Dumbo ride

Pint-sized terror suspects no longer have to worry about being denied boarding. WASHINGTON, DC -- As Uncle Walt's Insider readers know, the Homeland Security Department's "no-fly list" kept a toddler off of the Dumbo ride in December. New rules issued by the Transportation Security Administration this week may avoid that issue in the future. As reported here, the Cooper family of Athens, Ohio, including both parents, one grandmother, and three children, were denied boarding on Magic Kingdom’s iconic Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride, ...

May 3, 2018 by Marty in Florida, Other

The new zipline experience at Magic Kingdom. Photo via bigfloridacountry.com.

“Cinderella Castle Zipline Experience” coming to Magic Kingdom

You can fly! You can fly! You can fly! Kind of. WALT DISNEY WORLD -- Many a guest at the Magic Kingdom Park has looked up during the day and spotted a long cable which passes overhead, from the tallest tower of Cinderella Castle towards Tomorrowland. Some have asked cast members about its purpose, and been given answers such as "It's a leftover telephone cable from when the switchboard was up there" or "That helps the castle not blow over in a ...

May 2, 2018 by Marty in Florida

Avengers: Infinity War tanks at the box office

"I Feel Pretty" surges to claim the #1 spot. In spite of fan anticipation, marketing hype, and tens years of films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe building up to its release, Avengers: Infinity War opened nationwide yesterday in a disappointing fifth place, behind I Feel Pretty, Selfie Dad, I Can Only Imagine, and Tyler Perry's Acrimony. Uncle Walt's Insider reached out to moviegoers and self-described Marvel fans to see why the movie opened so low in the rankings. Here is a sampling of the responses: "Oh, was ...

April 28, 2018 by Marty in Other

Teodor shows off his cast member name badge. Photo adapted from NameTagMuseum.com.

Disneyland cast member certified in non-existent language

"I thought it came with extra pay." ANAHEIM, CA -- It's not uncommon to see cast members at Disney parks in the United States with an addition to their name badge indicating their fluency in a language other than English. But Teodor Kennard, a custodial cast member at Disneyland Park, is the only cast member able to speak Êçeþadüàño, and with good reason -- the language does not exist. "It's this gibberish thing my brother Trevor and I made up when we were ...

April 26, 2018 by Marty in California

Artists rendering of Judge Frollo's Gypsy Cabaret. Photo © 1996 Disney, courtesy DisneyScreenShots.com.

Lost Attractions: Judge Frollo’s Gypsy Cabaret

"Lost Attractions" is a recurring feature on Uncle Walt's Insider, where we shine the spotlight on planned attractions that were never built. The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Disney's 1996 animated feature, was a smash hit in every way. A light-hearted, comedy-filled romp through Victor Hugo's novel about singing gargoyles [Note: check this before publishing. I haven't read it.], the film was filled with wacky scenes of racism, genocide, mental abuse, unbridled lust, moral hypocrisy, mocking of people who are different, and the burning ...

April 25, 2018 by Marty in Spotlight